Refrigerator car



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\ fluvial Exznklin S m 11th Patented May 14, 1929.

UNITED STATES DAVID FRANKLIN SMITH, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

REFRIGERATOR GAR.

Application filed April 24, 1926, Serial No. 104,410. Renewed July 30, 1928.

The invention relates to refrigeration and concerns particularly apparatus for use in the refrigeration of cars for transporting perishable goods. Under conditions pertaining to the refrigeration of a railway car the problem of cooling has been dealt with by icing the car at certain intervals en route. This requires, of course, that the car must remain at rest at the supply station until the new charge of ice has been introduced, thus causing loss of time and extra labor and the more or less trouble and expense in coordinating schedules.

With my system the refrigerating car can make a continuous journey to its destination, either as apart of a train of similar cars, or as part of apassenger train.

In carrying out the invention, therefore, one object is to provide a refrigerating car With a refrigerating plant which will be self contained in the sense that it will operate continuously throughout the trip and will need no outside supply of refrigerating or cooling material during said trip.

The invention includes an ammonia system having a usual compressor and brine tank and with such system is combined a cooling apparatus which involves a water supply,'a nozzle by which water and air are cooled by expansion and in this condition are brought in contact with ammonia conductor or container for cooling the same, the water being used over and over again in this cooling action by causing it to pass in a circuit throughout the cooling system, so that no renewal of the water supply is needed during the trip of the refrigerating car.

Other features of the invention will be clear from the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a part of a railway car and of the refrigerating apparatus mounted therein.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic-view.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic sectional view.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View of the vacuum humidifier.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 4..

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the cooler or converter.

In these drawings '1 indicates diagrammatically the vehicle or car which is to be cooled. Within this car is mounted a brine tank BT, cooling motor M of ordinary form. Connected with the brine tank there is a cooler or converter C. This converter receives the ammonia from the compressor through a pipe 7 which goes to the top of the converter and connects with a stand pipe 8 arranged centrally of the converter, said stand pipe at its lower end discharging into a receiver 9 from which the ammonia passes the brine tank coils through pipe 5.

The stand pipe 8 has connected therewith a series of coils 10, each of which is in the form of a spiral of enlarged diameter at its central portion and with its ends connected with the stand pipe so that a large surface is exposed to the cooling influence within the chamber 0 and the ammonia is conducted in attenuated condition instead of in large bulk While subjected to the cooling action. The cooling system also includes a supply tank WT for water which is connected by a pipe 12 with a humidifier 13 having a nozzle 14 with a small orifice 15 for the discharge of the water to the cooler as will be more freely explained. This nozzle is associated with the tube 16 into which air is introduced, the said tube having a contracted port 17 eoaxially arranged with the small orifice of the water nozzle and with an inclined wall 18 leading to said contracted outlet which is convergent with the exterior end wall of the nozzle so as to provide a gradually contracted annular space surrounding the'nozzle through which the air passes.

Just above the restricted inlet port 17 through which the water and air are discharged there is an upwardly flaring continuation 19 of the port leading into the space 20 which is of the full interior diameter of the tube. From this space the expanded Water and air passes into the space 21, past a vacuum valve 22 into the lower end of the cooling chamber C.

The means employed for getting a flow of water and air under pressure through the nozzle and contracted air orifice respecplpes 3, compressor 4, and

tively for the subsequent expansion of these elements and for the resultant cooling effect is vacuum depression, but this is mentioned by way of exemplifying my invention and not as a limitation upon the scope of my claims, it being understood that instead of vacuum depression being employed the water and air may be subjected'to force feed pressure such as will, give the same efl'ect looking to the expansion of these elements as they pass into the bottom of the cooling chamber and the cooling efi'ect derived from this expansion. In the present example of my invention I show a vacuum pump VP of any suitable form which exerts'its vacuum depression upon the cooler C through a pipe 23 leading from the top of said cooling chamber to the vacuum pump VP. From the vacuum pump a pipe 24 leads to a se arator S at which air is separated from t e water, the latter passing back into the water tank WT by a pipe 25 and the air going oil through a pipe 26 to the outside of the car. The vacuum pump may be operated from the motor M through any suitable drive connection. The cooling pipes 3 are connected with the brine tank coils at one end and with the compressor at the other end.

I thus have two circuits, one including the compressor, the coils and the stand. pipe of the converter C, the brine tank and cooling pipes-3 back to the compressor for the circulation of the ammonia and the other circuit which is for the water, includes the vacuum pump which draws the water from the tank WT through the pipe 12, expansion nozzle 14, chamber of converter G through pipe 23 to vacuum pump and from vacuum pump to the separator S from which the water goes back into the tank WT. The water and air discharged under this vacuum depression in the chamber C rises through this chamber in expanded state, the water being in the form of mist and coming in contact with the ammonia stand pipe and coils in said chamber extracts heat from the ammonia and prepares it to pass into the brine tank coils through an expansion valve A. The circulation of the ammonia through the converter is in the opposite direction from that of the water and air and the ammonia just before leaving the converter is subjected to the action of the expanded water and air substantially at the Joint where this expanding action is initiated, after being subjected to the cooling action in its passage through the converter.

While I describe the water and air as entering into the lower end of the coolin chamber and withdrawn at the top thereo I do not limit myself in this respect.

Referring more in detail to the humidifier shown in Figs. Land 5, the inlet of water thereto is controlled by a valve 27 which isloosely mounted in an arm 28 to accommodate itself to its seat. This arm is 011 a lever 29 pivoted at 30 on which lever is adjustably mounted a float F in a chamber 7 in which a body of water is maintained at a prescribed level according to the adjustment of the float. A vent cap V is provided for this waterchamber. From this water chamber a port 31 leads to the expansion nozzle 14, which port is controlled by a valve 32, having a spring 33 normally tending to press it upon its seat. The stem of this valve is connected by a lever 34: which is pivoted at 35 and at its opposite end is connected by a stem 36 pivoted thereto at 37 with the vacuum valve 22 which is adapted to open upwardly under the vacuum depression in the cooler chamber C with which the interior of the housing 38 of the vacuum valve is connected.

The system is intended to operate under six inches of vacuum. The vacuum valve under pressure of spring 33 will not open until five inches of vacuum exists in the chamber of cooler G, hence the water supply in chamber f will not be available to supply the expansion nozzle 14 until vacuum depression exists in cooler C of the prescribed degree necessary to take care of this supply and prevent flooding.

Air is supplied to the expansion nozzle through an air intake pipe 40 which is connected with the chamber 11 which in turn is connected with the expansion nozzle through an opening 42.

I provide at 4.3 an air by-pass opening from the chamber 41 into the housing of and beneath the vacuum valve 22. This by-pass is regulated by a valve 44.which may be fixed in any desired position by the screw 45 to change the volume of air passin through the by-pass or to cut it off entirely as conditions require to thus regulate the degree of expansion of the elements taking place at the expansion nozzle and hence the cooling effect may be regulated.

It will be seen from the above that when the apparatus is charged and started in operation at the beginning of the journey, the operation proceeds on what may be termed a closed circuit principle, the cooling water being circulated repeatedly through the apparatus. The humidifier shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is self contained and may be placed or removed as one body.

It will be understood that the term pressure as employed in the appended claims is used in a generic sense to mean either force feed pressure or vacuum depression.

While I have mentioned ammonia as the cooling. agent, I do not wish to limit myself in this respect.

The apparatus will take the place of and occupy no more space than one of the ice bunkers now employed. The cooling coils 3 will be installed so as to reach from near the floor to near the ceilin of the car. Electric power for driving the motor may be generated from a dynamo driven from the axle of the car and storage batteries may be used as a secondary source of power to operate the apparatus should the car be intended to remain at rest for any considerable length .of time.- Each car constitutes an individual unit complete in itself.

A suitable relief or compensating valve may be employed to prevent excessive vacuum depression.

The brine tank may be omitted and the cooling coils used alone instead, and therefore where in the appended claims I refer to a cooler it is done in a generic sense to mean an element or element receiving the cooling agent from the converter to secure refrigeration or cooling of the car.

A thermostat may be used to make and break a circuit to the motor so that the apparatus will cease to operate when a predetermined low temperature is reached, and will start up automatically when the temperature rises to a predetermined degree.

The invention may be used for producing ice, in transit, for use in the dining car of the train, in which event the brine tank would be provided with a can or cans in which ice is formed.

I claim:

l. A refrigerating system comprising a refrigerant condenser and a cooling chamber containing said condenser, a source of water supply, a water atomizing nozzle, a float controlled valve for delivering water from said source of supply to the nozzle to maintain a certain level thereat, an inlet for air, means for passing the atomized water with the air through the cooler and in contact with the refrigerant condenser to extract the heat therefrom, a separator for the air and water connected with said cooling chamber, the source of water supply and the atmosphere, substantially as described.

2. A refrigerating system comprising a refrigerant condenser and a cooling chamber containing said condenser, a source of water supply, a water atomizing nozzle, a valve for controlling the supply of water to the atomizer, an air inlet, a vacuum pump connected with the discharge end of the cooling chamber, said water controlling valve being subject to the suction through said cooling chamber to open when-a certain degree of vacuum depression is attained to .then supply said atomizer, and a return connection between the vacuum pump and the source of water supply, said connection including a separator for the air and water, substantially as described.

3. A refrigerating system comprising a condenser for refrigerant and a cooling chamber containing the same, an air inlet, a water supply, means for atomizing the water and passing it with the air through the cooling chamber to extract heat from the said refrigerant condenser and for passing the water back to the sup )ly, said system having a heat outlet for t e escape of the heated air, substantially as described.

4. A refrigerating system comprising a' condenser through which the refrigerant passes in one direction, a cooling chamber containing said condenser, a source of water supply, means connected to said water supply for ejecting water vapor into said cooling chamber to act upon said condenser, means for creating a draft through said cooling chamber counter current to the direction of flow of the refrigerant in said condenser, said means causing the return of the water condensed from said vapor to said supply for re-use, substantially as described. 5. A system com rising a condenser through which the re rigerant passes downwardly, a cooling chamber containin said condenser, an air inlet to said cham er, a source of water supply, means connected to said water supply for ejecting Water vapor with air into said cooling chamber at the lower point thereof, means for creating an upward draft through the said cooling chamber to carry the vapor upwardly and counter current to the direction of flow of the refrigerant in said condenser, a separator for separating the air from the water and discharging the air to atmos here, and a return connection between sai separator and the water supply.

6. A refrigerating system comprising a refrigerant condenser, a cooling chamber containing said condenser, a source of water supply, an air inlet, means associated with said water supply and air inlet for injecting the water in a finely divided condition with air into said cooling chamber to cool said condenser, and for withdrawing water vapor and air from said chamber, and means for separating the water from the air, and for returning the water tothe source of water supply.

7. A refrigerating system comprising a refrigerant condenser, a cooling chamber therefor, a source of water supply, an air inlet, a water atomizing nozzle, means for directing air from the air inlet past said nozzle and with the atomized water into the cooling chamber to contact with the said condenser, a separator, a vacuum pump for drawing the atomized water and air through said cooling chamber and discharging the same into said separator, said separator having a vent to atmosphere, and a connection to the water supply to return water thereto.

8. A refrigerating system comprising a. refrigerant condenser, means for cooling said condenser comprising a cooling chamber containing said condenser, a source of water supply, a water atomizing nozzle, a.

open the passage between the nozzle and the chamber, and a connection between the latter valve and the Water supply valve, sub- 10 stantially as described.

In testimony whereof, afiix my signature.

DAVID FRANKLIN SMITH. 

